


The Death of Us || PREVIEW

by orphan_account



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Even Slower Than That, Everyone is Dead, If you are emotional you will definitely cry, Joshler if you squint hard enough, LITERALLY, Nuclear Apocalypse, Post-Nuclear War, Sad, Sickness, Slow Burn, cancer mentions, fluff moments, might be romantic, might not be, seriously, very sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 13:13:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15316242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In the aftermath of nuclear apocalypse, Tyler waits for his friend to come home. He has nothing left to hold on to, just a vague memory hand the hope that there's still someone out there to live for.When Josh turns up, they realize that too much has changed. Things are different, and they are different. They have different ways of surviving something that shouldn't have been survivable, but their connection might just be there. It might be hanging on, even if it is by a thread.||-\\Based off of the one-shot "Native" from the "Unconnections" collection





	The Death of Us || PREVIEW

There was a feeling in the wasteland. It said that you had to travel to find something better. Tyler knew better. There was nothing better. Everywhere was a new disaster, a new war to win, a new reason to quit. Here, in one place he was safe. He knew the ground, he knew the faces. He knew the people to avoid and he knew which ones to help. Home was safety, travel brought death.

He lived in the hollowed shell of his former home, the one he had once shared with the people who meant most to him. The photos were now blackened, their faces blurred memories, their names hidden in the back of his mind. All gone now. He didn't know why he kept trying. There was nothing but a possibility for him to try for.

Mornings blurred together with nothing to do. He got food. He ate. He slept. He killed when necessary. He lost on occasion, yet he always managed to survive. He always washed the red away and continued on to the next day. Staying where he was in the hope that his old friends might find him there.

It took time. Everything took so much time now. Through a harsh winter where the cold chilled through his bones. Through the nuclear summer where he thought he'd never see water again. Through the radiation that burned him and mutilated the world around him, he waited. His friend had to find him. The only person that he might have left in the world.

Some days, when the sky burned red and he knew better than to go into the wasteland that was once a city, he would hide in the basement, talking to a friend that wasn't there. He'd play his ukulele for an audience long gone and relive days of the past. He'd hit the keys on his worn out piano, singing words long forgotten. Words that would never be heard again.

The drums stood untouched, right where his friend had left them. He wouldn't move them. He refused to. He refused to let them go. Letting them go meant forgetting the last person. He'd been in California when the bombs want off. But he could make it to Columbus. If anyone could, it would be him.

The winter was coming, Tyler could feel the ache of it already. He remembered the last one. He remembered being so cold that it burned. Touching metal and having his fingertips peel away with it. He remembered, and he wasn't ready to face it again, but he had to. He had to be prepared. His face covered, he made his way out.

The streets were silent aside from the wind and dust. They was rarely another face. They were always quiet. No one came out unless they had to. Nobody was stupid anymore. Nobody but the travelers. They had always been the stupid ones. 

Grocery stores had nothing. They'd been emptied a long time ago, unless you wanted skinny rats. Tyler would only stoop so low when it got too cold for him to have any choice. There was no point in trying them now. He had to travel to find something better. Something that would last. 

Luckily, the longer people were gone, the closer nature got. All he had was a knife. All he had was the clothes on his back. He'd never been good at hunting, but he had to get better if he was going to survive. He would get better with time. As the air cleaned itself he would get better. He couldn't let his friend find him dead after.

The tree line was new growth, creeping closer the the houses, plants growing up the walls of the closest ones. Moss and grass peeking through the sidewalks, breaking them apart, crumbling them to dust. There was movement nearby, and Tyler got down. Friend, foe, or food? That was the question. That was always the question. 

He turned to check. It was a deer. He couldn't get a deer on his own. But he could sure as hell try. He was certainly stronger than he had been when the bombs went off. He'd been so weak when they'd gone off. Now he could fight. Now he could survive. 

He slid forward, staying low, not wanting the creature to see him. He took a deep breath, licking his lips nervously. He wanted it. He wanted it so goddamn bad. His heart cracked when he stepped on a twig and the beautiful creature looked up. She looked straight at him and his heart broke, wondering how he was supposed to kill something so beautiful. It was still too far away and if he moved any closer then she would run. 

They stood, staring at each other for a long moment, him debating his next move and her waiting for him to make his. There was a dull thud. Tyler must've blinked, because when he opened his eyes, there was an arrow in her eye. He knees buckled and she collapsed. He wasn't in the mood to get shot by a stranger. He wasn't going to give them a chance to kill him. So he ran. He ran as fast as he could towards the city. Towards the place where the ground was familiar. 

There were groups and he knew it. They all lived together and worked together. They knew him, and he knew them. They'd offered to let him join, but he didn't want to. He was waiting for someone after all. They mostly left him alone. He wasn't worth trading with, and he didn't steal. But he did sometimes see them, and he knew that if they didn't recognize him he ran the risk of being shot on sight. 

He spotted a house with the door ajar and went for it. It would be easier to hide among the spiders and smell of rot. It might just cover his body odor. It might make him a bit more difficult to find. 

It was cold in the house, and the furniture was all covered in plastic. Tyler took a deep breath and immediately regretted it. The house smelled like rotten animal. Something had recently died in there. He peered through the crack in the door, wondering if he had even been followed. There was always a chance. He could never be too careful. 

They were there. Two people. One was wearing a yellow X across their shirt and Tyler wondered why they wanted to be seen so badly. Being spotted could mean death. It could mean a knife in the chest or a bullet in the back. That's why he had ran. The others hat bulged, as though their hair had been pulled beneath it. He swallowed, they were talking. He wondered if they were from the village. 

They moved out of sight and he stayed where he was. He might even spend the night in the rotten house. Or he would check the pantry. There was probably nothing there, but it was worth a look. He stood, moving down the hall. The rotting smell was getting worse. Probably an animal that had eaten the canned food. Who knew. He checked, making sure his mask was still in place. 

The kitchen was small, and decorated like an elderly woman had lived there. There was even a teacup still in the windowsill, and a mug stained black from the coffee it had once held. Probably when the bombs went off. Tyler swallowed, wondering about the person who had once lived there. Not that it actually mattered now. They were clearly gone. 

He didn't bother with the fridge, instead he started digging through the cupboards. Tupperware was useful. He could fill it with useless things. Try to grow plants from poisoned earth. Try to move the forest closer to the buildings. Try to surround himself with life. He wouldn't take the plastic unless it held something worth holding though, so he continued searching. 

Tomato sauce. He found three cans of tomato sauce. It was strange how something so simple made his mouth water. He hadn't had tomato sauce in so long. There was salt. He couldn't believe his luck. Pepper. He wanted to cry. The person had loved canning. He lost his mind at the sight of apple pie filling and a jar of blackberry jelly. He took them both, tears streaming down his cheeks at the thought of being able to enjoy such rarities. Something with sugar and flavor. Something that he hadn't had to kill. He placed them gently in his bag, hoping that they would make it home safe. He hoped his friend would arrive in time to share them. 

He made his way to the next room, uncovering the source of the rot. It was a dog. It was curled up on the bed, and definitely not alive. It was hairless, with misshapen lumps all over its body. Poor thing had died of cancer. It still had a collar on. People had poisoned the pets they loved. He didn't get too close. He knew the consequences. He left quickly after that.

He decided to go home and hide his precious cargo. He might trade the jam to the villagers for more, but the filling he would keep. He wanted his friend to be able to try it. He wanted to eat it together. He wanted to enjoy it with him. He wanted the other to be there. 

He was wary on the way back. He could feel eyes on him, feel himself being followed. He went around in circles, twisting and turning and backtracking as much as he could, trying his best to confuse whoever it was. He never caught sight of them, but he always felt them there. The villagers knew better. They just left him alone. This had to be a stranger, intent on killing and robbing him. It was probably the same one who killed the deer. He'd just have to kill them first. He hated that his brain thought that way, but he'd been rewired, and he wouldn't hesitate. 

He could see his home in the distance, but he wasn't sure if he should approach. Part of him knew he was paranoid, but a healthy dose of paranoia was the only thing keeping him alive. To much would kill him, but for now he was kept alive. He heard a twig snap and turned, watching a figure disappear behind a building. He was being followed. 

"I know you're there!" he called, his bandana muffling his voice, "Get out here and face me! You could've killed me, so why am I still here." His eyes flicked between the buildings, searching for movement, "You trying to find my place? Trying to rob me?" he drew his knife, "Want to make a trade? If you're from Nohiri... You should know better." 

The figure peered around the corner of the building, he could see the shine of their eyes. They were small, but he knew who they were. They were the one with X-Chest. They were stuffed hat. They put their hands up. "I'm sorry..." they said, "By the time I decided to turn back I was lost..." Their voice was scratchy, but light and high. Possibly feminine. He knew better than to underestimate that trait, "My friend... He's with the deer... He said to see where you were going..." 

Tyler's eyes narrowed. "This is my land. I'm saving it for someone," he said, "Last thing I told him was to meet me here. And I intend to be here." He chewed his lip, thinking of the typing  bubble. The last thing he'd seen. He knew his friend had gotten his message, and they'd tried to respond. He wondered what their response might've been.

"My friend is meeting someone here," The figure said, "He wanted me to ask you if they're here." Tyler stepped closer. There were stray hairs falling from the figures cap. They seemed to get smaller the closer he got to them. 

"Who's your friend?" Tyler demanded, "What's his name?" He stepped closer, brandishing the knife aggressively, wanting them to know that he meant harm. He wanted them to be afraid of him, to know that he wasn't afraid to hurt them. 

"William!" They cried, stepping back, "His... He told me his name is William." They swallowed audibly, "Please... I just... I want to go back to William... I don't have much longer. We were so close to a drop point. The radiation... It's killing me..." 

Tyler's eyes widened. "Stay the fuck away from me," he said, "You stay the fuck away." He pointed the knife at them. "I don't need your poison. I've seen what it does. You've already contaminated so much!" They were too close to his house. They were gonna kill him. And this William guy was probably poisoned to. The people nearest to the drop sites weren't people. They were the living dead. It didn't matter how long it had been. 

His change in demeanor didn't go unnoticed. The stranger realized that Tyler was scared of them. They knew they could use it to their advantage. They stepped forward, making Tyler step back. "Take me back to William," they said, "Take me back and I'll stay away." 

He nodded. "Okay..." he said, "I took the long route back. Just-" he cut off, noticing another figure in the distance and wondering why the hell he couldn't just have a relaxing day and eat his tomato sauce in peace. That was all he wanted. Peace, quiet, and tomato sauce, "Well fuck. It looks like your friend is here too." He knew it was them. There were chunks of fresh meat hung across their shoulders, and even from a distance he could see the X across their chest. 

The stranger turned to face them, putting up a hand and making him stop in his tracks. "He's... He'd looking for someone... Uh... Tyler... He's looking for Tyler Joseph..." The stranger looked at him, "Do you know him? Is he still alive? William thinks he's here. Says he has to be." 

Tyler's heart stopped. William was looking for him. "That's me..." he said, "I- I'm Tyler Joseph..." He started towards the distant stranger. He had to know, needed to know. He needed to know if his friend was alive, and this William fellow knew his name. He needed to know if he knew about it. If he was coming to him. If he would ever see him again. 

"You're Tyler?" the smaller stranger asked, starting after him, "Wait! Tyler! Wait up." He could hear their footsteps behind him but he didn't care, he needed his friend. He wanted to know that his hope wasn't misplaced. He wanted to know that a reason to keep going was still out there somewhere. That hope would be there soon. 

William didn't raise a weapon when Tyler ran to him, he just stood, waiting for the other to reach him. As Tyler got closer, he saw more details. Every inch of the other was hidden from the sun and the radiation that constantly baked the earth. He had a mask covering his mouth and nose, and his eyes were covered by goggles. He had a bow and arrows slung across his back and gloves on his hands. 

"Where is he?" Tyler demanded, "Where is my friend? Is he alive?" He reached out, grabbing William by the collar, "Where is Josh Dun? Please! I need to know..." His breathing was heavy and he knew he was too exposed just by being close to the other. 

William simply reached up, lifting the goggles to reveal his eyes. Large brown eyes. They were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and there were bags beneath them from the stress of staying alive. But Tyler still knew those eyes. He knew them better than most and he would never forget them. "Why Ty-guy," he said, chuckling softly, his voice muffled, "Don't you recognize me?"

Tyler choked, "J- Josh... You- You're here!" He wrapped his arms around the other, not caring about radiation or the pain that would come with it, "You're alive... You're fucking alive..." He was sobbing now, openly sobbing because his friend was here. His friend was with him. And they were going to survive. 

"I see you've met Lilia," Josh said. He was still warm, still so friendly as he gestured to the other stranger, "We've been traveling together..." Tyler could see the sadness in his eyes as he looked down, "Ty..." His voice was lowered so the other wouldn't hear, "She doesn't have much longer..." 

Tyler turned to the other, Lilia. "I have just the thing," he said, "C'mon... Let's get inside before a poison storm hits or something..." He turned, facing the hollow shell of his old home. Their home now. They could all stay there together, they could help each other, they could survive forever here. He could feel the weight of the apple pie filling in hie bag. A celebration. They would celebrate and survive together. 

Life may not be beautiful, in fact, it was going to be messy. But they would do it. They would make it. They had to. 


End file.
